CryptoDark Ransomware

Posted: June 27, 2017

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Threat Level:	10/10
Infected PCs:	78

First Seen:	June 27, 2017
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The CryptoDark Ransomware is a Trojan that pretends to use file encryption to lock your media until you pay its Bitcoin ransom. While similar to these threats, by its symptoms, the CryptoDark Ransomware includes no actual encrypting features, and victims have nothing to gain from paying. Use backups to restore any files that this Trojan damages and anti-malware products to uninstall the CryptoDark Ransomware or curtail its installation.

An Encroaching Darkness that Comes with False Promises

One of the greatest dangers in any ransom tactic is to assume that the con artist is operating 'above board' with both threats of violence and promises of relief. While some threat actors do choose to provide decryption services to the victims whose files they lock, others are happy to accept the payment and do nothing else. And still others, like the CryptoDark Ransomware perpetrators, even go so far as to be dishonest about the attacks they're making.

The CryptoDark Ransomware is a June-dated Trojan that creates pop-up windows imitating the ransom demands of a file-encoding one. This part of the CryptoDark Ransomware's payload is well-designed relatively and includes a copy-friendly wallet address, a supposedly built-in decryption interface, and a request for 300 USD in Bitcoins to get the code for unlocking your files. The CryptoDark Ransomware's attacks are, in this respect, similar to other families of ransom-based Trojans that malware experts also are analyzing.

However, the CryptoDark Ransomware omits the essential feature of an encryptor: the encryption. Instead of encoding your media with a patterned algorithm, the CryptoDark Ransomware inserts random strings of text or the so-called junk data. Along with making your files illegible, it also makes them irretrievable completely by conventional decryptors. Malware experts further verified that the CryptoDark Ransomware's 'decryption' module is a fake.

Turning Dark into Daylight on Your Computer

The CryptoDark Ransomware operates on a business model that hopes the victim will not try to verify the false facts it states and has no better recourse than to take a threatening software at its word. While fake file-encrypting Trojans are rarer than actual ones, even legitimate ones are capable of damaging your files in perpetuity. In either case, the easiest solution is to save backups of your content before Trojans can harm it, particularly with copies stored on recommended locations like peripheral devices or password-guarded cloud servers.

While malware experts aren't able to offer any hope for recovering the damaged files currently, they can recommend means of blocking this Trojan's installation exploits. Scanning suspicious downloads with security software, disabling scripts, keeping in-documents macros inactive, and avoiding crackable passwords are defenses against some of the most prominent infection exploits today. Many anti-malware products identify and remove the CryptoDark Ransomware, although it often is identifiable as a possible variant of the Barys family.

The best way to keep what you save secure from the CryptoDark Ransomware is to avoid neglecting your PC's defenses and backups. Threat actors don't need to help you to turn a profit on a vulnerable computer after you've given them access to your documents, pictures or other media particularly.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

file.exe

File name: file.exe
Size: 1.41 MB (1414144 bytes)
MD5: 69db9bae938d8ba7dbad17f6a289cae4
Detection count: 78
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: June 27, 2017

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